PLAY! events are designed for children with developmental differences and their families.
We know it can feel overwhelming to enter a setting and allow children with developmental differences to play and explore while also having room for connection with other families in the community. PLAY! events are designed to bring families together in a supportive environment with materials that facilitate play and exploration along with social interactions for both children and their families. PLAY! events are facilitated by Sheila Chrobak, M.S., CCC-SLP and colleagues.
PLAY!
How it Started
Why Play?
Sheila and other pediatric specialists created Full Circle, with a mission of inspiring healthy development for all children by strengthening families, inspiring young minds, and connecting communities.
Between 2017 and 2019, Full Circle hosted a variety of donation based, play-focused
Play supports child development by:
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Encouraging imagination and creativity
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Creating space for shared engagement and enjoyment
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Offering opportunities to practice social pragmatic language skills such as turn-taking and social coordination
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Providing experiences that expand receptive and expressive language and vocabulary skills
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Improving sensorimotor, gross motor, and fine motor skills
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Helping to develop executive function skills like planning and problem solving skills, attention and focus, inhibitory response, and mental flexibility
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and so much more!
events and cooking classes for our community and in our schools. Funds received were used to donate building blocks to local non-profits for distribution to families in the community.
At the end of 2019, Full Circle became a community outreach branch of Dot to Dot, eventually evolving into the PLAY! program. PLAY! events still incorporate the community-based child development principles at the core of Full Circle, and have expanded to include partnerships with a variety of local organizations.
2025
I held two more PLAY! events in partnership with The Arc Studio, in which children experimented with shiny items and various textures in their art. These two events raised $175 for the Arc Studio.
I partnered with the Virginia Discovery Museum and Keswick Sensory again to host another PLAY! event at each of their locations. Families could explore the Museum in a quieter, less crowded setting than normal, and connect with nature at Keswick. $100 was raised for the Museum and $225 was raised for Keswick.
2024
A We're Going on a Bear Hunt PLAY! event at my office focused on story sequencing, sensory bins, and play through movement. I also partnered with The Arc Studio to host two art-focused PLAY! events, where families explored the use of letters in art and Eric Carle's unique style by creating multimedia pieces. These three events raised $475, which were donated to The Arc Studio.
Another PLAY! event at Keswick Sensory gave families the opportunity to explore nature, interact with animals, and make apple prints. The $125 raised were donated to Keswick Sensory.
2026
Another PLAY! event held in partnership with The Arc Studio allowed children to make Valentine's Day art, raising $100 to support The Arc Studio's programming. I'm continuing working with the studio to develop the Saturday Artists' Studio (SAS), a monthly PLAY! event where children with developmental differences and their families can explore different ways to create art. Register for the next PLAY! + SAS at the top of this page.
2023
The first few PLAY! events were held at my office, with each event focusing on a different type of play material. The $510 raised was donated to Bennett's Village.
The first PLAY! event hosted in partnership with another organization was at the Virginia Discovery Museum, and the $200 raised were donated to the museum to continue its mission of supporting all children in the community.
